After The Fire Burns
by AshleighWrites97
Summary: After the fire at Hotel Denouement, Justice Strauss and Jerome decide to team up together to find the Baudelaires, clear their names and help them to make a new start, while making a new start together.


**After The Fire Burns**

**By: **Miss Phyllis Baxter

**Ship: **Justice Strauss x Jerome Squalor

**Word Count: **686

**Summary: **After the fire at Hotel Denouement, Justice Strauss and Jerome decide to team up together to find the Baudelaires, clear their names and help them to make a new start, while making a new start together.

Jerome Squalor and Justice Struass sat next to one another outside the ruins of Hotel Denouement after the fire. They sat in silence until Jerome finally found it within himself to put an end to this slightly uncomfortable silence.

"How exactly did you meet Violet, Klaus and Sunny?" he asked, hoping she wouldn't mind answering the question.

"I met them when they were moving into with Count Olaf," she replied. "Poor children." Jerome nodded and noticed the sound of failure and inner anger in her voice.

"I wish that I had been able to adopt them before Count Olaf got a hold of them. They wouldn't have had to go through any of this," he said sadly. "But my selfish wife didn't want to, because orphans were 'out' at the time."

"I just wish that I had been their guardian," Justice Struass said. "I would have taken good care of them. I offered to take them when they were being taken from Count Olaf, but that horrible banker wouldn't let me, and I let him take them."

"If we were to find them again," Jerome began, looking at her for a moment before continuing. "Perhaps we could try and raise them together."

"But we barely know each other. Wouldn't we need to live together? Be married to each other?" she asked, only half surprised that she wasn't protested against the idea of raising the Baudelaires and living with this man who may or may not have a wife anymore. "You don't even know if your wife is dead yet, Mr Squalor."

"No, I don't, but if she is, perhaps it's for the best. She never really loved me," he said, reaching out to touch her hand gently. "You and I both have the common interest in doing what is best for the Baudelaires. We both want the world to know that they are good children who have had to do difficult things to survive in an ailing world. Perhaps the best way to do that is for us to team up, and maybe get to know and trust each other better."

"Could we really do that though?" Strauss asked. "Would we be able to be strong if it went against us. If we found them and after the way they were treated by us, they turn us away?"

"I'd follow them around the world to try and clear their names. I don't know about you, but I don't believe the Baudelaires are ungrateful, and if we do find them and we have cleared their names... well, let's just say that I don't think they'll turn away two people who truly want to help them," Jerome replied, understanding where Justice Strauss' line of thought came from. It came from the idea that after all they had been through, the Baudelaires would be reluctant to trust anyone. "Your worrying does show that you're worried about them and want to help, but it also shows that you fear they'll reject you because of everything."

"Of course I fear it, don't you?" she asked him. "They could decide that since we abandoned them once before that we'll do it again. They might be beyond trusting people like you and I. Violet is far to young to be left managing Klaus and Sunny. How can she hope to provide for them?"

"I don't think even Violet knows the answer to that question," Jerome replied. "And the only way we can help them is if we find them."

"You're right. And if we're to find them, we'd best start now," she said, standing up from where she was seated. "How far is it to yours?"

"Not very far, yours?" he asked.

"Other side of the city," she replied.

"Then we'll stay at mine until we have a plan as to how we'll find them. Perhaps we can gather evidence as to how to find them, rather than really chasing them all over," Jerome said, standing and offering Justice Strauss his arm. She took it with a small smile.

"I like that idea Mr Squalor," she said.

"Call me Jerome."

"Call me Janis."


End file.
